So, you want to be an Audio Mastering Engineer? These few rules helped me as an Audio Mastering engineer; so, I am in hope that it will help you too.
Subscribe to the Electronic Musician Magazine , most audiomastering do. Read all articles from cover to cover. Sometimes the title of the article may suggest that the content has vey litte applicattion in the real world. However, more often than not you will find the article is useful and an interesting read with real value in Audio Mastering. Never throw any of your magazines away. Use them as reference material in audio master.
Use moderate to high-ended gear to Audio Master. Learn to know distortion when you hear it while audio mastering; it has many sounds. I believe it has a lot to do with type of hardware and instruments used. A bad low grade mic will distort and the more your attempt to improve the audio mastering file the worst it will become. Subscribe to theMIX MAGAZINE to stay current on high end Audio Mastering Hardware. There are online courses in Audio Mastering. In fact, check out my links for Audio Master Engineering courses. Furtheremore, as a suggestion,always incorporate analog with digital in Audio Mastering. I use digital software and Manley Massive Passive to improve transient. As far as the bottom,in Audio Mastering , if I feel that your bass drum or bass guitar needs tightening or roll off I will use digital Software and Manley's Massive Passive.
Never accept a MP3 file for Audio Mastering. In your Audo Mastering Studio you can never improve a MP3 file. The quality is just not there for Audio Mastering. I always ask for a sample rate of 44.1 kHz at 16 bit ; less room for mistakes in your Audio Mastering, and your client will appreciate it as well.
Do not accept a mix that's laced with mistakes. An Audio Mastering Engineer can make a good mix sound real good but a bad mix sound real bad. Furthermore, you will become the fall guy in the blame. Trying to correct a bad mix is like a fly trying to free himself from a spider's web. The more he move, the more entangled he become. DON'T DO IT! Ask for a new copy.
The most common mistakes that Recording Engineers make, causing a Audio Mastering Engineer to kick his work back is that they fail to use gates,expanders,filters and,oh yes,panning while tracking.The result is frequencies fighting one another causing distortion which the recording engineer records the mistakes into a stereo mix. Do not let that be you. A CD Mastering Engineer is the least understood. Audio Mastering Engineer is not there to correct your mistakes. An Audio Mastering Engineer is there to enhance your frequencies where need be ,compress,gate and limit. You will know that your frequencies were enchanced when you hear the premastered back to back with the mastered version. The pre-mastered version will appear to be sleeep. Think of an Audio mastering Engineer as your Quality Control guy,your safty net before you go to Market. You do not want to go to Market with work that's not the best that it can be. Have all the frequencies been check for enhancement? To check your frequencies for enhancement you need a several band EQ hardware,which takes a skilled technician to find the frequencies that needs work or enhancement.
One more point to add is mixing in 5.1
You know that a down mix is not always reliable. However a 5.1 with a P.C.M. is a surething. Yet,instead you give in to your client to do the 5.1 plus a down mix simply because it is cheaper. Later, when he finds that he was wrong and you were right guess who will be blamed for it? Take my advise. Do you want to do the best for your Client? Do the 5.1 plus P.C. M. or do not do the surround at all! Trust me, when he hear the horror stories others experienced with down mixing he will praise you for your wisdom.
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